A casebook is a type of textbook used primarily by students in law schools. Rather than simply laying out the facts of a particular area of study, a casebook contains excerpts from legal cases where the law of that area was applied. It is then up to the student to dissect the language of the case, in order to determine what rule was applied and how the court applied it. Textbooks are defined as a manual of instruction, a standard book in any branch of study. They are further defined by both the age of the person who is to study the text and the classification of the subject matter itself. ... Law school is the term used in the United States to indicate an institution where future lawyers obtain legal degrees, mainly teaching using the Socratic method. ... A legal case is a dispute between opposing parties resolved by a court, or by some equivalent legal process. ... A court is an official, public forum which a public power establishes by lawful authority to adjudicate disputes, and to dispense civil, labour, administrative and criminal justice under the law. ...

Most casebooks are authored by law professors, usually with two, three, or four authors, at least one of whom will be a professor at the top of his or her field in the area under discussion. Certain publishing companys, most notable West Publishing, Aspen Publishing, and Foundation Press, have extensive lines of casebooks on various topics, for which the publisher is quickly identifiable from the color and pattern of the book cover. Westlaw is one of two major fee-based online legal research systems, providing access to state and federal statutes, case law materials, public records, and other legal resources. ...